THE EU WEAKENS THE RULES THAT SAFEGUARD PEOPLE AND THE ENVIRONMENT

470 civil society, trade unions and public interest groups tell President von der Leyen, European Commissioners and EU Member States that our rights, planet, health and justice are not for sale... Rules designed to ensure that we can live fair, just and healthy lives are already poorly-enforced. Despite clear warnings, they’re now being withdrawn, weakened or gutted of meaning at a truly unprecedented rate... EU rules are being cut so that shareholders can exploit people and the planet with fewer limits. Our protection is being sold out for profit, and our trust in democracy eroded...

The ‘simplification’ agenda has already gone too far:

• Corporate accountability and justice are further away than ever: The Commission and Council propose to drastically undermined climate action, environmental protections and human rights obligations in supply chains, by thoroughly weakening the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive. Transparency on companies’ sustainability level and efforts is on the brink of being slashed by significantly reducing the scope of reporting companies in the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive and the EU Taxonomy.

• Our habitats and biodiversity may lose essential protections, while chemicals threaten public health...

• Pressure is taken off polluters...

• A decade of digital rights progress could be undone...

• A race to the bottom for workers...

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With these steps – a small selection of the many deregulation proposals, initiatives and strategies – the Commission claims to be making Europe friendlier for businesses and more competitive internationally... Instead of deregulation, we call on EU and national lawmakers to protect and promote the rights enshrined in the EU Charter and international human rights law:

1. Pass laws for stronger protections for social welfare, workers, consumers, anti-discrimination, justice, climate and environmental justice, privacy and data protection, and against toxic chemicals;

2. Demand more transparency for and accountability on companies, as well as access to justice for those harmed;

3. Take responsibility for the negative impact of EU activities, such as mining, insufficient climate targets and toxic chemicals, on other regions and communities;

4. Enable the implementation and enforcement of laws protecting rights, justice and public interests. By providing more resources for enforcement authorities and implementation guidance and support for digital rules;

5. Reinforce protections for civil society organisations, trade unions, human rights defenders, journalists and activists

6. Guarantee that civil society, trade unions, impacted communities and other representative public interest actors are meaningfully consulted, included and respected in EU and national law-making.

In a time of extreme inequality, including wealth inequality, social and financial exclusion, climate destruction, democratic backsliding, surveillance capitalism, worker exploitation, deeply-embedded structul harms and discrimination and broad human rights violations: we call for more protections, not fewer!